What We Do

Blackfriars Settlement is a registered charity providing services to the community. We work with people, creating opportunities for them to achieve their aspirations. We meet individual needs within our multi-purpose framework.

Our Positioning Statement

We offer a wide range of services and activities, supporting people to achieve their goals and improve their well-being;

We are a partnership of community members, volunteers and staff;

We are a welcoming family where every individual matters and is unique;

We believe that we are stronger when we live, learn and laugh together.

Our Mission

To add our expertise, encouragement and support to the efforts and achievements of local people and create opportunities for them to reach their educational, social and economic potential;

To unite the contributions of local volunteers and community partners to achieve shared objectives;

To encourage funds into our community to deliver and support quality services for people of all ages.

Our Values

We value people as individuals, each with their own aspirations and needs. We exist to listen and respond to the needs of our community. We believe that:

Everyone has the right to improve their education, their wealth and their happiness;

Everyone must treat each other as equals because each of us owns an equal share in this community. We recognise and respect difference and diversity;

We gain trust and respect from other people by being honest, dedicated, hardworking, friendly and supportive;

We must encourage people in our community to join us as trustees, staff and volunteers. We are always looking for new ways to work and co-operate with other organisations;

We must deliver an excellent service so we must spend time improving our skills and developing new ones.

These values are the inspiration for everything we do and everyone we work with.

Our Vision for the Future

We will actively search for opportunities to meet the changing needs of our community and provide essential services by developing and exploiting effective partnership networks;

These opportunities will be tested to ensure that they match our capabilities, goals and aspirations and our understanding of the real needs of the community;

We will maintain our focus on the community's needs, take our lead from our users and respond with services to satisfy their needs;

We will enjoy successful operation with a balanced budget and growing turnover by pro-actively generating income and developing opportunities in line with our long-term fund-raising strategy;

Our new building will be a vibrant centre of excellence, which will enhance the perception and experience of everyone involved and provide unrestricted access for all;

We will build measurability into all our service provision and we will welcome this challenge to motivate and develop ourselves and demonstrate to others the impact and effectiveness of our work;

We will maintain a constant watch on the real needs of our community and be both willing and prepared to adapt to the inevitable changes;

We will welcome the opportunity to develop our organisation as a social enterprise working successfully within a commercially realistic framework;

Progression is our goal and we are eager to see all those we are privileged to work with move forward with improved capabilities and an unrestricted and positive view of the way ahead.

What We Have Achieved So Far

We have supported over 1,700 individuals in the last year. We taught them new skills, helped them to build their confidence and provided them with opportunities to have fun and make friends.

We have achieved social inclusion throughout our services and particularly through our befriending scheme. We have also helped numerous service users find employment. For example, Marguerita Whylie said:

I was unable to get a job because I could not fill out the application forms. I was recommended English lessons so I enrolled on the ESOL Entry 1 course at Blackfriars Settlement. They taught me how to read and write and fill out forms. Since taking the class I have got a job in a nursery. I have completed the training for my new job and I am looking forward to starting in January 2012.